The national observance of Hispanic Heritage Month will be celebrated September 15 through October 15 this year, recognizing the historic and current contributions of members of the Hispanic and Latino communities.
The national observance of Hispanic Heritage Month will be celebrated September 15 through October 15 this year, recognizing the historic and current contributions of members of the Hispanic and Latino communities.
“Hispanics, and in particular Hispanic Catholics, are determined to be part of the solution to the current reality: the COVID-19 pandemic, the call for racial justice, and the continuing impact of global climate change,” said Bishop Arturo Cepeda, auxiliary bishop of Detroit and chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Subcommittee on Hispanic Affairs in a statement.
Governor Gavin Newsom also praised California’s 15 million Latinos “who help California thrive.”
“Even within the last decades, Latino Californians have persisted through discrimination and recessions and continued to grow and build our state undeterred. This month, we remember the Latino Californians who have long led the movements for justice and equality that are so crucial today.”
“This year,” points out the USCCB, “Hispanic Heritage Month is especially meaningful as the Catholic Church in the United States is reaping the fruits of a four-year process called the V {Fifth} National Encuentro of Hispanic/Latino Ministry. The main goal of the V Encuentro has been to discern ways in which the Church in the United States can better respond to the Hispanic/Latino presence, and to strengthen the ways in which Hispanics/Latinos respond to the call to the New Evangelization as missionary disciples serving the entire Church and society. The V Encuentro and the previous four Encuentros have recognized how Hispanics/Latinos have been woven into the very fabric of Church and society in the U.S. for many generations.”